BOOK REVIEWS

BOOK REVIEW EDITOR, WENDY L. APPLEQUIST

Mabberley’s Plant-Book. A Portable Dictionary author points out that taxonomy is one of the
of Plants, Their Classification and Uses. “oldest of all sciences” (p. vii) practiced by myriad
Fourth Edition. Mabberley, David J. 2017. cultures throughout time. From that perspective,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. this book not only reflects modern Western taxon-
xx + 1102 pp. (hardcover). USF 74.99. ISBN omy and systematics, but also is full of folk taxo-
978-1-107-11502-6. nomic identifications and synonyms. Local com-
mon names are exactly that, local, and this book
I have to admit, when asked to write this review, I fills a welcome gap in helping to build an accurate
mostly said “yes” out of curiosity. The 4th edition of species list working in the field with different com-
Mabberley’s Plant-Book (PB IV) represents a massive munities and scientists. PB IV also identifies syno-
undertaking including more than 1400 new entries nyms, which can be a major pain when attempting
(out of a boggling 26,000+) and countless updates to compare species lists or analyze community data.
throughout reflecting modern taxonomy and sys- Notes on local uses, ecology, and plant distributions
tematics. This modernity includes both a founda- are also helpful in narrowing down identifications.
tion in recent classifications derived from increas- Those notes on local uses also lead me to recog-
ingly high-resolution molecular analyses and a wider nize another valuable aspect of PB IV. The book
familiarity with vernacular names from diverse cul- highlights the interconnectedness of knowledge
tures as our world gets more and more intercon- from disparate fields. It sounds so obvious as to be
nected. Despite this, I was unsure what function trite, yet this book does more than simply provide
this book could serve for me. How and why would I an updated synthesis on taxonomy. Science is all
use PB IV? about connections. In each compact entry, the
Apparently, I am not the only one asking these reader can find broad information on uses, phylo-
questions, as the author addresses them early in the genetics, and/or key characters of ecologically and
introduction. Mabberley provides three main rea- culturally important species in the genus.
sons why he believes this book is important (p. vii- Another helpful use of the new Plant-Book is the
viii): (1) to glean plant taxonomic and classification very fact that it is not digital. The compact size
information from diverse sources; (2) to provide a allows the book to be a ready reference when work-
reliable, compact, and organized synthesis of recent ing beyond the reach of Wi-Fi or under limited
taxonomic updates; and (3) the sheer pleasure of internet access. In that same vein, for researchers
thumbing through a physical book overflowing who have limited access to digital literature behind
with information on the plant world. To this last paywalls, the book can provide guidance for more
reason, I can attest. I found myself quickly sucked targeted and efficient searches of the digital
into the pleasure of discovering fascinating details literature.
on both familiar and unfamiliar plants, each tidbit Of course, no book can satisfy every need. Except
leading me to look up another. The writing, even for widely used bryophytes like Sphagnum, the book
with the copious abbreviations to save space, flows includes vascular plant genera only. In addition, the
well and is almost conversational. very fact that it is not digital means that it cannot
Still, what use can I, as an ethnobotanist, have for update as new classifications are released. The au-
this book? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Taxonomy is thor also holds to the use of older family names such
one of the core fields of study in Botany and Eth- as Leguminosae (= Fabaceae). While he provides
nobotany. Plant-people relationships begin with an solid arguments for the benefits of older nomencla-
understanding of how a culture identifies, organizes, ture, my educator-brain imagined beginning Bota-
and names the plants in their environment. The ny students, confused by synonymous names that

Economic Botany, XX(X), 2018, pp. 1–7

do not follow the simple “all family names end in – about the selection process. He said that plants
aceae” rule. Finally, the space-saving size 8 font can profiled were selected by the authors in a workshop
be challenging in low light. on the basis of being important in the whole region,
In the end, Mabberley’s Plant-Book (2017) has and important in one of the participating countries.
found a permanent space on my office shelf and in While the overviews of the region and countries
my field bag. in it are excellent summaries and of interest to
people working in those areas, the plant profiles
NANCI J. ROSS are fascinating and worth browsing to any person
BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT interested in plants. For example, Carum carvi (car-
DRAKE UNIVERSITY away), a spice that appears in many baked, pickled,
DES MOINES, IA, USA and distilled goods outside of the Caucasus, takes on
[email protected] a new identity as a plant that haunts forest edges and
damp meadows. Similarly, Acantholimon
Ethnobotany of the Caucasus. Bussmann, Rainer hohenackeri (Hohenacker’s prickly-thrift) is familiar
W., ed. 2017. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzer- to gardeners in Europe as an ornamental alpine
land. xxviii +746 pp. (hardcover). USD 299.00. plant for adorning rockeries, and is enlivened as a
ISBN 978-3-319-49411-1. garden plant by reading about its medicinal uses in
Azerbaijan as described in this book.
Part of an on-going series on the ethnobotany of Overall, this is a well-produced book that will
Europe, this is a stand-alone book that covers Ar- have a long shelf life as a source of information on
menia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Given the im- ethnobotany of the Caucasus. It is rigorous enough
mense attention, the Caucasus has drawn from to be used as a stand-alone reference. Some of the
botanists and anthropologists as part of the Silk information within it may serve as signposts towards
Road, and as one of the world’s biodiversity more detailed information in more specific texts.
hotspots, this book is overdue. The Caucasus region Being easy to read and presenting engaging portraits
and the three countries composing it are introduced of the plants also makes it a candidate for recrea-
in Part I, Ethnobotany of the Caucasus. This sec- tional reading.
tion situates the region in geographical terms and
proceeds with an overview of vegetation and of SUSANNE MASTERS
threats to plant diversity. Inclusion of threats to BOURNEMOUTH, UK
plant diversity is an important component as the [email protected]
designation of a biodiversity hotspot is tied not only
to high endemism and biological diversity but also Anti-Diabetes Mellitus Plants: Active Principles,
threats to that diversity. Armenia’s mountain- Mechanisms of Action, and Sustainable Utili-
dominated landscape is differentiated from zation. Subramoniam, Appian. 2017. CRC
Azerbaijan’s near subtropical location and Georgia’s Press, Boca Raton, FL. xvii +390 pp. (hardcover).
coastal juxtaposition between the Black Sea and USD 119.95. ISBN 978-1-4987-5323-4.
Caspian Sea. Throughout the book, although
grouped together as the Caucasus, individual coun- In 2016, just 1 year before the publication of this
tries’ plants and their uses are distinguished. book, Appian Subramoniam and CRC Press pub-
Part II, the bulk of the book, consists of plant lished the comprehensive, and similarly titled Plants
profiles covering species names, synonyms, local with Anti-Diabetes Mellitus Properties
names, botany and ecology, local medicinal uses, (Subramoniam 2016). The majority of that prior
local food uses, local handicraft and other uses, work presented a broad forest of diverse plants with
references, a photo of the plant, and in some cases, widely ranging evidence of anti-diabetic potential
photos of them being used. In a region containing including cultural use, analytical studies, and occa-
about 6300 vascular plants, selection of which to sional measured bioactivity. In contrast, this current
include in a book about plants used by people volume represents a well-pruned garden of carefully
requires winnowing. This book includes 129 plants supported scientific knowledge on selected anti-
as important plant species. As is often the case with diabetic plants. Specifically, while the previous vol-
books of this type, the criteria for assignation of ume presented readers with greater than one thou-
importance are not described in the book. I sand entries with varying scientific evidence (recent-
contacted Dr. Rainer Bussmann, the editor, to ask ly reviewed in this journal; de la Parra 2017), this
2018] BOOK REVIEWS

current work presents many fewer species along impoverished populations in places often inaccessi-
with a thoughtful and highly useful compendium ble to the large-scale delivery of single-molecule
of the facts, procedures, and current research needed pharmaceuticals such as metformin (itself a plant-
to support a modern search for the most useful anti- derived blood sugar stabilizer). However, these same
diabetic plants. areas are often highly agrarian and contain a rich
With six major sections, Subramoniam also de- cultural history of medicinal plant usage. Indeed,
livers a thorough and comprehensive treatment of Subramoniam’s work highlights the fact that these
the most relevant topics in anti-diabetic plant re- developing regions often rely heavily on the use of
search. The introduction provides excellent back- long-standing indigenous plant treatments to rem-
ground on the disease itself along with current edy early stages of prediabetes, thus positioning local
conventional treatments. This is followed by a sec- health professionals and their remedies on the front
tion on isolated phytochemicals that includes over lines of global diabetes prevention and treatment.
300 reported anti-diabetic molecules and their po- However, these ethnobotanical treatments are often
tential health benefits. While this compendium of complex or unanalyzed extracts with widely varying
chemical knowledge is a valuable resource, a real levels of evidence that they effectively regulate blood
highlight comes in the following section. There, sugar levels. At the same time, globalized medicine
Subramoniam lays out careful and scientifically sup- in the modern world demands precise analysis and
ported explanations of proposed mechanisms of exacting control of production. Subramoniam’s
action for over 400 anti-diabetic plants. All of the work absolutely stands to aid global health efforts
descriptions are very well cited and some are highly by gathering a wealth of relevant and scattered
detailed—representing the type of rigor demanded information in one convenient place.
by peer reviewers in the most selective scientific
journals. This section gives incredible value to the LITERATURE CITED
book. de la Parra, J. 2017. Review of Plants with anti-
To complete the picture of anti-diabetic plants as diabetes mellitus properties. Economic Botany
they are used today and to guide the reader as to 71(2): 197–198.
how they can be better used in the future, the Subramoniam, A. 2016. Plants with anti-diabetes
remainder of the book describes three multifaceted mellitus properties. 2016. Boca Raton, Florida:
fields of their own: polyherbal formulations, bioas- CRC Press.
say methods, and tissue culture techniques. The World Health Organization. 2016. Global report
section on multivalent herbal formulations discusses on diabetes. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health
broad ideas on the subject but also includes short Organization.
assessments of 50 specific formulations from Ayur-
veda and Chinese medicine. Subramoniam then JOHN DE LA PARRA
moves on to deliver an excellent review of the most NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
common in vitro, in vivo, and clinical study Boston, MA, USA
methods for assessing the anti-diabetic activity of [email protected]
plant products. This is an excellent resource for
those new to the broader field of anti-diabetic drug Secret Cures of Slaves: People, Plants, and Med-
discovery. And finally, sustainable utilization of icine in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic
plants is addressed with a fascinating chapter on World. Schiebinger, Londa. 2017. Stanford Uni-
plant conservation, plant tissue culture, and versity Press, Stanford, CA. 256 pp. (paperback).
micropropagation. At the core of this section is a USD 24.95. ISBN 978-1-50360291-5. Hard-
wonderful review of over 100 published studies on cover: USD 85.00. 978-1-50360017-1.
specific conditions for micropropagating rare, en-
dangered, or threatened anti-diabetic plants. Stanford University History of Science Professor
Diabetes and its associated disease cascade has Londa Schiebinger draws from Carney and
constituted a global health crisis with the worldwide Rosomoff (2011), who documented the “Africani-
proportion of diabetic adults increasing from 4.7% zation” of food systems on Caribbean plantations:
to almost 9% in the past 30 years. In developing ships provisioned on the west coast of Africa were
countries, this rate has risen even faster over the past often filled with unmilled grains to be prepared as
10 years (World Health Organization 2016). As foods along the way. Some unused grain was re-
such, this massive epidemic is ravaging remote and served. Thus, plantations had all the ingredients
 ECONOMIC BOTANY [VOL

needed for adaptation of African crops: seeds, peo- knowledge circulate in the Atlantic World? That
ple skilled in their cultivation, and people who knew flow of knowledge was unrestricted and
and enjoyed these foods. Similar adoption may have multidirectional.
occurred with medicinal plants sourced from Africa Schiebinger offers a thoroughly scholarly book,
as well as Amerindians: Arawak, Taino, Carib, or written for an interdisciplinary audience of re-
Galibi (Kali’na). Contemporary 18th century searchers pursuing countless complex details involv-
French physician Jean-Baptiste-René Pouppé- ing transatlantic slave routes. It will be enormously
Desportes presented an “American Pharmacopoeia” useful to students studying slave medicine,
that included an extensive list of Caraïb remedies. encompassing race, ethnicity, imperialism, and co-
The sources of plants used for healing receive lonialism. Healing in that Atlantic world blended
considerable attention in Secret Cures of Slaves, along African, Amerindian, and European knowledge tra-
with difficulties in establishing their botanical iden- ditions. However, the exchange of medical knowl-
tities. Illustrating the book’s cover, Robinia panacoco edge was blocked by prejudice, exile, and the exter-
Aubl., in vernacular bois de fer, is the focus of mination of peoples and their knowledge.
extensive discussion. Plantation owner A.J. Alexan-
der experimented with his “Negro Dr’s” medical LITERATURE CITED
techniques to cure yaws, the devastating tropical Carney, J. and R. Rosomoff. 2011. In the shadow of
disease resulting from poverty and poor sanitation, slavery: Africa’s botanical legacy in the Atlantic
infecting skin, bone and joints. Analysis revolves World. Berkeley, California: University of Cali-
around the question, what was the source and bo- fornia Press.
tanical taxon that he was testing? An African cure Pouppé-Desportes, J.B.R. 1770. Histoire des mala-
transported to the Americas? A remedy developed dies de S. Domingue (3 vols.). Paris, France:
by Amerindians and transmitted to African slaves, Lejay.
who, unlike Europeans, were familiar with tropical
medicine? A cure developed by plantation slaves in DOROTHEA BEDIGIAN
the Americas? Or, paradoxically, a cure communi- MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
cated by Europeans to the slaves via the plantation? ST. LOUIS, MO, USA
The origin of Alexander’s enslaved man’s cure [email protected]
and its route of transmission exemplify the com-
plexities of the circulation of knowledge in the Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental
Atlantic World. The plant at the center of his cure Change at Ancient Gordion: Gordion Special
for yaws is indigenous to the Americas, and data Studies 8. Marson, John M. 2017. University of
suggest that French doctors collected knowledge of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, PA. 224 pp.
the plant’s use from Amerindians in Saint- (hardcover). USD 59.95. ISBN 978-1-934536-
Domingue and French Guiana. Yet, if the cure is 91-9.
Amerindian in origin, how did this knowledge cir-
culate to an African doctor in Grenada? Did the Gordion is one of the most important
slave find African flora he was familiar with again, in archeological sites in the Near East. It was occupied
America? Did he, through trial and error, devise a for more than 4000 years from the Bronze Age to
new cure using an American tree, or did he learn the modern times by several population groups,
medicinal uses this plant from the Amerindians or, allowing comparisons spanning different cultural
perhaps, even from the French, and then pass the groups. It had a strategically important location in
knowledge along to his British owner, Alexander? what is now Central Turkey (100 km southwest of
Alexander considered his slave’s cure for yaws to Ankara). Its heyday was in the first half of the first
be part of a body of medical knowledge derived millennium BCE when it was the royal capital of
from Africa, referring to the slave’s cures as “Negro the powerful Iron Age kingdom known as Phrygia
Materia Medica.” Indeed, historians writing about to the Greeks and Mushki to the neighboring As-
“slave medicine” often assume an African origin of a syrian empire. It was a major center of population,
cure. Did Africans bring medicines and medical with an urban fabric spread over 2 km, dominated
techniques with them from their homelands or did by monumental buildings and fortifications and
they experiment with new plants and cures found in over 100 elite burial mounds. Its fabled king Midas
the West Indies? More generally, how did (remember the “golden touch”) was actually a real
2018] BOOK REVIEWS

figure, and it was here too that Alexander the Great including monoterpenoids come from leaves and
was said to have cut the famous Gordian Knot. fruits, the medicinal properties and modern ayurve-
Since 1950, Gordion has been extensively inves- dic usage indicate that the bark of S. cumini has far
tigated in over 30 annual excavation campaigns on a more uses as compared with the leaves and especial-
scale rivaled by few other archeological projects. ly the fruits.
This book presents the results of 25 years of In spite of its tremendous medicinal potential,
archeological (agricultural) botany research at the breeding biology of Syzygium is understudied. This
Gordion site. The author’s ambition is to show that critical point has been well highlighted as it needs
this kind of data not only provides insights on the utmost attention and so does its phylogenetic anal-
cropping practices of those days, but also on the ysis with reference to each floristic province or
decision-making processes behind them. The book country. Syzygium aromaticum has been mentioned
is a fascinating, serious science-based read that in- as the most widely cultivated species; therefore, it
deed brings together results from varying disci- would be interesting to investigate similar aspects of
plines. Where needed and possible some simple this species as well in comparison to S. cumini.
black and white illustrations have been added in One of the constraints in understanding the phy-
order to clarify some of the reasoning. logeny of Syzygium has been identified as the
The text is well-organized, often clear and well- undercollection of the plant in various geographical
documented with many references to relevant sci- ranges including India; however, there is an elabo-
ence. Personally, I would have liked a more attractive rate discussion of conservation efforts. The discus-
and appealing writing style and presentation. The sion of ex situ conservation raises a good question of
text presents itself as a (too?) serious course book or gene flow, especially from field gene banks, that
thesis, and not enough as a non-fiction, easy-to-read might actually pose a threat to wild Syzygium vari-
story book in which the past could come to life. The eties.
potential audience could be quite diverse, but I am
not sure that the publication’s aspect will draw these ANBREEN BASHIR
readers to the book, and that’s a pity. DEPARTMENT OF MATH AND NATURAL SCIENCES
HARRIS-STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY
PATRICK VAN DAMME ST. LOUIS, MO, USA
FBW/GHENT UNIVERSITY MANSHA NISAR
GENT, BELGIUM DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
[email protected] WOMEN’S COLLEGE, A.S. CAMPUS
GOGJI BAGH, SRINAGAR, INDIA
The Genus Syzygium. Syzygium cumini and
Other Underutilized Species. Traditional Herb- Plant Families: A Guide for Gardeners and Bot-
al Medicines for Modern Times, vol. 19. Nair, K. anists. Bayton, Ross, and Simon Maughan.
N., ed. 2017. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. xviii 2017. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.
+270 pp. (hardcover). USD 149.95. ISBN 978- 224 pp. (hardcover). USD 25.00. ISBN 978-0-
1-4822-4972-9. 226-52308-8.

This book represents a perfect amalgam of tradi- This beautiful and well-organized book has most
tional folklore plant usage along with modern sci- definitely been crafted for the gardener rather than
entific plant studies including nanotechnology. The the botanist, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
editor has gathered immense knowledge, incorpo- It is in fact a visually engaging introduction to
rating various aspects of S. cumini including system- systematics that would make a perfect gift or deco-
atics and phylogeny, botany, horticulture, phyto- rative tabletop book for almost any level of budding
chemistry, immunology, and biocontrol. This rich horticulturist. Its beauty does not detract from the
pool of information could prove to be useful for bite-sized knowledge that it imparts, but rather
integrative medicine, especially beneficial for cancer works well to pull in the novice reader and maybe
research. even attract a few future botanists (of which we are
The book highlights a wide spectrum of pharma- perhaps in need).
cological properties of Syzygium cumini. Although The book begins with a short collection of intro-
most of the reported chemical compounds ductory pages. We are given the basics of scientific
 ECONOMIC BOTANY [VOL

nomenclature, a rough guide to plant evolution, a Mushrooms: A Natural and Cultural History.
minimal description of plant physiology, and a fun Money, Nicholas P. 2017. Reaktion Books, Lon-
8-page key to introduce botanical classification. As a don, UK, distributed by University of Chicago
coffee table book, this introduction should be plen- Press, Chicago, IL. 200 pp. (hardcover). USD
ty of background for getting started on the topic of 30.00. ISBN 978-1-78023-743-5.
plant families. By using the key, a reader can navi-
gate deeper into the remainder of the book—which When I was little, I used to spend the summer in
is a catalog of the most well-known plant families. a region at the foot of the Alps. Looking for mush-
The bulk of the text includes seven entries for rooms was one of the most delightful pastimes I
gymnosperm families, fifteen entries for monocot shared with my brothers. Hunting mushrooms after
and early angiosperm families, and fifty entries for a rainy day was the best moment for hiking into the
eudicot families, each with two to four pages of woods, and I can still recall walking into the kitchen
information. For most of these entries, there are with a basket full of our favorite mushrooms and
upwards of five to ten illustrations interspersed fragrant cyclamens picked under fir trees. Once the
among tidbits of information on family size, range, mushrooms had been washed, cut, and cooked, the
origin, flowers, fruit, and leaves. By design, these kitchen would be filled with a smell of risotto ai
pages give a general sense of the family without funghi porcini, a well-deserved reward for an early
being particularly scientifically rigorous. An addi- morning hike. Many years have passed since then,
tional box is included in most entries that describe a and now I occasionally buy mushrooms at the
few garden uses for species from the particular fam- supermarket where the only mild excitement is
ily. This adds an enjoyable connection to real-world picking the box with the best looking agarics or
gardening in a book that is ostensibly about shiitake mushrooms. While experienced mushroom
systematics. pickers would be proud to tell you everything they
While the illustrations are lovely and informative, know about these fleshy fungi, this book comes
I could not find any direct attribution for the vast from the authoritative pen of Nicholas P. Money,
majority of them. Rather, they are for the most part a professor of biology at Miami University and an
denoted as “taken from the public domain.” I was expert on fungal growth and reproduction.
left wanting to know a bit more about where and Money has authored several books where he
how they were obtained. Notably, several are desig- shared his 30-year passion about fungi and other
nated as having been found in the unique collection microorganisms. His writing is pleasant, witty, and
held by the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley clearly inspired by his contagious enthusiasm for the
Library, built around the library of the English filamentous creatures. Money is very effective at
botanist John Lindley. A quick search shows that awakening a reader’s curiosity for the cultural as-
many of these illustrated plates contain the name of pects of mycology—from ancient Aztec rituals with
the artist or at least the name of the book from magic mushrooms to popular myths about mush-
which they came. Other heavily illustrated intro- rooms’ medicinal properties. His science is meticu-
ductory botany books, such as Thomas Elpel’s Bot- lous and objective, and he is successful at guiding
any in a Day (a far superior book with regard to the readers through the key elements of mushroom
pedagogy of systematics) also rely in part on public biology.
domain plant illustrations. However, Elpel takes The sophisticated hydraulic engineering process
great pains to properly reference the source material through which mushrooms suddenly poke their
going back hundreds of years. His is a standard that heads out of the ground has fueled the imagina-
should be maintained. tion of story tellers and enriched local folklore.
Truffles, which are a type of ascomycete, grow
underground and their aroma provides a feel of
LITERATURE CITED excitement to many chefs who celebrate these
Elpel, Thomas. 2013. Botany in a day, 6th ed. delicacies in their recipes. Just a fraction of mush-
Pony, Montana: Hops Press. rooms are worth eating. Some mushrooms are
poisonous, others are hallucinogenic; in both cases,
JOHN DE LA PARRA their psychoactive compounds seem to have been
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY developed as a form of self-defense against preda-
BOSTON, MA, USA tors, and despite the significant effects they have
[email protected] on human physiology, magic mushrooms still
2018] BOOK REVIEWS

occupy an important niche in the thriving recrea- No Species Is an Island: Bats, Cacti, and Secrets
tional drugs market. Scientists have described of the Sonoran Desert. Fleming, Theodore H.
more than 70,000 species of fungi, but many 2017. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
more are thought to exist. Mushrooms can be 72 pp. (paperback). USD 14.95. ISBN 978-0-
spongy like the wood ear mushroom Auricularia 8165-3589-7.
auricula-judae, colorful and dangerous like the Am-
anita muscaria, or scary like the Clathrus archeri, This small volume introduces some of the more
which looks like a monstrous copy of a starfish. This interesting aspects of pollination studies that ex-
book made me want to know more about them and plored the relationship between nectar-feeding bats
about the pioneer mycologists who dedicated their and four species of columnar cacti in the Sonoran
lives to studying these organisms. Desert. The author plainly thinks the bats will be
Addressed to nature enthusiasts, Mushrooms is more interesting than the cacti (saguaro, organ pipe,
a perfect introduction to the kingdom of fungi. cardon, and the insect-pollinated senita) and gives
Each of the 16 chapters is dedicated to a theme, scientific names only for the former. However,
ranging from Mushroom Science to Mushroom those who are interested in the cacti for their eco-
Superstition. Did you know that there is an Einstein nomic or cultural value will find some appealing
of mycology? His name is A.H. Reginald Buller and tidbits in the book nevertheless, such as the coexis-
his Researches on Fungi (Buller, 1909–1950) is con- tence of dioecy and hermaphroditic individuals in
sidered the bible of mycology. Or that the largest cardon, or asexual fruit development triggered by
organism in the world is a tangled web of hyphae exposure to pollen of other species. The work closes
that radiates for over 10 square km through a coni- with an important message about sustainable use:
fer forest in Oregon? Mushrooms addresses these the clear-cutting for commercial use of mesquite
questions and many more. Overall, I thoroughly and ironwood, which provide shelter and food for
enjoyed this little gem and recommend it to anyone birds and other animals and serve as “nurse plants”
interested in the world of mushrooms. that help young cacti to become established, can
devastate an entire community.
LITERATURE CITED
Buller, A.H.R. 1909–1950. Researches on fungi (7 WENDY L. APPLEQUIST
vols.). London: Longmans, Green and Co.; vol. MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
7, Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ST. LOUIS, MO, USA
[email protected]
ILARIA M. GRIMALDI
OEGSTGEEST, NETHERLANDS
[email protected]